


Oneshots of the Saline Variety

by Sentlett



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Further Tags in Chapter Description, Gen, Lila Rossi Bashing, Lila Rossi's Lies Are Exposed, Not Beta Read, Salt Fics Galore, ml salt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:02:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25358896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sentlett/pseuds/Sentlett
Summary: This is a Collection of Onshots spawned from my recent binge reading of Salt Fics. The length will vary, but I tend to be long-winded so expect longer rather than Shorter. Additionally, Expect mostly Lila Salt, with some Alya or Adrien Salt depending on my mood. No Maribat, or real crossovers, however, my AU may make some appearances. Tags other than those above will be in Chapter Descriptions, although relationships and the tags above are subject to change, depending on the subject matter of future additions.Additional Tags for Story 1: Reveal - kinda, light Alya Sugar, Marinette needs a hug and a therapist, partial warning for panic/anxiety attack (it's like one paragraph at most), Angst
Comments: 13
Kudos: 216





	1. You're Ladybug?

**Author's Note:**

> This Author's Note is to notify readers about my commenting policies. They are as follows:
> 
> 1) So long as a comment is not abusive, trolling, or offensive I am fine with it. I may disagree with your opinion but I will fight for your right to express it peacefully. nb: should that opinion be harmful to the mental wellbeing of others i.e: Racist, Sexist, etc - It will be treated as abusive and removed via the method stated in these policies.
> 
> 2) I don't care about the Lila Roleplayer. If they appear, feel free to annoy or engage with them, I personally will refrain unless they break the other sections of these policies. (Personally I feel that it is a collective of trolls but that is my opinion) They are really the only exclusion to the troll part of Policy #1, purely because I know some enjoy engaging with them. 
> 
> 3) Please keep comments pg - I would prefer the comment section to be free of Cussing or anything Lude. Most of us are civilized enough to use better words and I firmly believe cursing should be reserved for occasions where vulgarity is important to give emphasis to the message. Similarly, there is a place for anything further than vague allusions to copulation and other such acts, please find a fic rated E on this site if you wish to indulge in such language.
> 
> 4a) Considering that there will be a variety of topics discussed or used as plot points in these stories that may bother others, please be courteous to your fellow readers. Should one of these sensitive topics be addressed, please treat them with the care they deserve (as I hopefully will) and should I accidentally not please refer to Policy #5. 
> 
> 4b) Many of these topics will be tagged in the topics although there will be no in-chapter Trigger Warning notations as I feel they unnecessarily break the flow of the story - If a tagged topic will cause you some amount of distress please just give the story a miss rather than complaining in the comments.
> 
> 5) Don't be afraid to tell me if something sucks, doesn't make sense, or is grossly misportrayed. I will either explain or fix the story. I view this pursuit as an enjoyable learning experience, so will not be angry about such comments, IF they are respectful of the fact that I am only human.
> 
> 6) Conversely, if you enjoy something let me know, positive reinforcement keeps me going, knowing people read and maybe enjoy my writing is what keeps me in the writing mood. Don't be afraid to just say you liked it.
> 
> Any comments that do not follow my policies will be deleted and replaced or replied to with the number of the policy that it didn't follow, the reason for removal, and a short summary of the person's statement in case people engaged with them before I got to it for context. These Comments are not pre-moderated to encourage discourse, please keep it civil. They will become pre-moderated if you make too much work for.
> 
> Sorry for this formality, and Enjoy the Story

Marinette figured that it was bound to happen eventually. I mean, she had been running this gig for almost a year and a half at this point, someone was bound to figure it out – probability demanded it. Of course, it seems that the one time that she needed her luck to hold out a bit longer, it decided to bite her instead. Perhaps this was Karma for all the small larcenies for which she had avoided punishment. She had “borrowed” at least two phones and messed with the fabric of space-time a bit seems fair that the one person she really needed oblivious to her secret identity (bar hawkmoth obviously) would be the first to figure it out.

Backing up a bit to how this occurred, It had started with a problematic Akuma: an emergency dispatcher who had gotten one too many prank calls (and seriously who does that?) took on the mantle of “False Alarm.” She could force others to respond to whatever “alarm call” she made up by shooting them with a ray from her transformed headset. Marinette had needed to use her power at least three times, and it had been an extra headache because Chat had been hit with at least three “cat up a tree” calls – with him playing the cat. Honestly, if the Akuma hadn’t been as strangely effective as she was, Marinette would have found those cases funny. However, when the Akuma was actually good at their job, it only became more annoying that her partner was taking catnaps in trees or found himself unable to get down despite his clear ability to do so. Luckily, she had been able to finish off the Akuma with a set of exercise bands turned into a sewer-grate slingshot – which loony-toonsed the Akuma leaving her dazed and vulnerable. The sausage-haired problem she was currently facing had turned her ugly head while Ladybug was lost in thought, hoping that Hawkmoth’s future akumas wouldn’t be as difficult as that one was. She had seen Ladybug drop into the alley the two currently inhabited and seen Marinette walk out muttering to herself. Considering this a windfall, Lila had quickly walked over and forced Marinette back into the alleyway.

“Well, hello … Ladybug,” Lila said, her lupine features accentuated by her predatory smile, “Or should I call you Marinette, I really do have trouble with names…”

Marinette decided to attempt innocence, “What are you talking about, Lila? Why would you call ME of all people Ladybug? We hate each other, how could we be best friends?” Ok, yes, some sarcasm snuck in, but with Lila, it was just natural for her.

“Oh, best friends fight all the time. Just look at your current position with Alya, you to just can’t seem to agree on anything these days!” Lila replied. “But I tire of pretending that I haven’t just received the best early birthday gift ever. Why don’t I give you some time to think about your impending doom? I’ll give you until tomorrow before school ends. If by that time you fall into line as my good little slave, sorry ‘best friend,’ then I won’t expose your superhero persona to the world. I wonder how Paris would feel about their perpetual savior being a schoolchild whose entire Class can’t stand her?”

Marinette froze, why of all days was this happening to her? What had she done to deserve this? Was voluntary servitude to a lying sociopath really how the universe wanted her to atone for a relatively sin-free life? Was saving the city from being crushed, smashed, temporally displaced, drowned, and all number of other wackier but still deadly problems not worth some slack when it came time for atonement? Her analytical brain, so adept at finding its way out of trouble, whirred into action. And suddenly, a plan solidified. An idea that if played well could kill quite a few birds with one stone. All that it required was some research, dusting off her acting skills, and hoping that the singular brain cell her class seemed to share was present when she needed it to be there. She sighed, re-centered, and replied, “I’ll let you know, Lila,” in her head, finishing “because I don’t think this blackmail is going to end the way you think it is.”

Lila hearing this and thinking that she had won, pranced off, nose aloft with her sausages waving in the breeze of her abrupt turn. Marinette, seeing that Tikki had finished her cookie and was looking at her concerned, whispered, “don’t worry, I have a plan.”

That night was spent looking through the Ladyblog’s archives for evidence, cross-referencing Lila’s stories with proper news media. She also thought up and created proof regarding alibis for every one of the 80 akumas that she had fought. Many of these were rather easy since they occurred in parts of the city that she would have already been in, and she could say she was either hit early or hid quickly. And writing emails that would be sent as contingencies should The Plan fall apart (Marinette may be flighty at times, but she took Plans seriously – with contingencies for her contingencies). By the time she was done with that and her homework, it was time to sleep, so after a short conversation with Tikki about her and the other Kwamii’s roles in the Plan (because if she had a pantheon of tiny gods at her disposal, she was going to use them, damn it!) she settled in for a restless night of sleep.

Waking up for school the next day wasn’t all that hard, considering she didn’t really sleep much, to begin with. Marinette had spent the night tossing and turning with nightmares of how horribly The Plan could go, all of the possible consequences, from ending up as some toadying lackey to keep her identity safe, all the way to Hawkmoth getting her miraculous and taking over the world. However, on the bright side, her stress-induced insomnia made her get to Class early.

Lessons went by innocently enough, with Lila spinning more of her namesake and the Class eating it up – hopefully saving their brain cell for the impending Plan, not that they knew about it. When Class had ended, and everyone was packing up to go home, Marinette let Trixx and Tikki out of her purse, shooing them away so that they could get into place. They had just gotten out of sight when Lila decided to begin her attempt to run Marinette’s life. 

“Hey Alya, are you still trying to find Ladybug’s identity?” she asked, already knowing that Alya’s obsession hadn’t disappeared overnight.

“Of course. Why, do you know something?”

“Yes, Marinette accidentally changed back when we were meeting up for a girls' night yesterday. I figured that as her civilian best friend, you should know as well. She said that she was so mean to me so that no one would connect her and Ladybug.” Lila said, feeling that she had won until she heard a gasp from behind her. The girls (and by extension the rest of the class milling around the courtyard) turned to see Marinette staring in horror at the two of them, tears pearling down her cheeks.

“I know we don’t get along, Lila, but I didn’t think you wanted me dead…” Marinette trailed off, seemingly fighting down a sob.

“What do you mean, girl? Lila was just telling me that you were Ladybug, you don’t need to keep up the act.” Alya said, worried about the blue-haired girl’s reaction to her supposed identity reveal.

“How could I be Ladybug? I’ve been seen in the same place as her multiple times. I’ve been caught in multiple Akuma attacks that have been solved by her. Remember Darkblade, Pharaoh. What about when Papa was Akumatized, I was trapped in a tower made of thorns. I’m terrified of akumas, how the heck could I have been fighting them for the past year and a half. Leading you guys in defending against Darkblade was the bravest I’ve been during one of those attacks. That’s not mentioning my clumsiness.” Marinette rambled, seemingly breaking down even further, curling into a ball on the ground.

Alya looked worried now, carefully crouching down next to her best friend and asking gently, “Then why would Lila think that you are her superhero BFF?”

“I don’t know! I know you guys think that I’m jealous of her because of Adrien, and I was at first. But that stopped before she even left school the first time! I saw how uncomfortable Adrien was around her, so I followed them to make sure that she didn’t do anything, and saw Ladybug scold Lila for saying that she was best friends with her. So I was skeptical of her claims when she came back. You know how Jagged asked me to make his album cover a while back?” Alya nodded, “Well, he gave me his number to check with him for the drafts, and he has been commissioning me more recently, so I asked him about her kitten story. He said that he’s never had a cat, kitten, or otherwise because he was scratched up really badly by one as a kid. He’s been scared of them since. It’s why he has a Crocodile that acts like a dog now, other than Fang being in tune with his ‘Rock ‘n Roll Vibes.’ So I tried to tell you guys so that you wouldn’t be taken advantage of. But you didn’t listen, so I wanted to prove it to you with that napkin. I made sure to lob it so that even if it did hit her, it wouldn’t hurt her, and somehow, she spun it so that she saved Max’s eyes from being decimated. You would have thought I had chucked a rock the way she was acting.” Out of the corner of Marinette’s eye, she saw Max have the decency to blush.

Marinette continued, talking into her knees, voice becoming quieter, “I went to the bathroom after you said that I needed evidence. I wanted to collect myself, cause I was starting to get really angry. Not only did you exile me to the back of the room without even asking me, but you also didn’t even entertain the thought I was trying to tell you guys the truth.” More of her Class started to really pay attention, looking a bit guilty. “Lila came in at that point, she tried to act nice, saying that we could be friends. I’ll admit that I was harsh to her, I said that we could only be friends when she stopped lying. Then she just told me she was only saying what you all wanted to hear. And She said that she would ruin my friendships, and any chance I had with …” Marinette peeked around, seeing that Adrien wasn’t there, “Adrien. I just got really angry after she left, called one of my cousins, and started venting to her. I almost got akumatized, but she got me to calm down enough that it flew away. Then Chameleon happened, and I just hid in my room until it was over. Still don’t know how that happened. After that, things just kind of simmered for a bit, the Class started pulling away a bit but not really enough that I felt that I was losing you guys. Then that whole expulsion thing happened, and even though you and Adrien believed me, the rest of the Class didn’t really, and then I just ended up coming back the next day. Even with that happening, the Class still just kept listening to her stories, and really just started ignoring me. Even you and Adrien started avoiding me.”

“But girl, why are you so afraid of being confused for Ladybug, wouldn’t that be a compliment, and how would that cause your death?” Alya asked, wanting to know why her friend was so scared.

“Because Hawkmoth is trying to get Ladybug’s miraculous, and he seems to lack any morals. I wouldn’t be surprised if he would kidnap my parents or murder me in my sleep to try and get them. He mainly akumatizes children and has used literal babies, I doubt that there are levels he wouldn’t stoop to. Being called Ladybug is possibly the most dangerous thing that could happen to a person. Second only to being called Ladybug’s best friend. Look at Lila, she has claimed that and has been akumatized more times than most of you all, second only to M. Ramier. And If I was Ladybug, that would put you in almost as much danger as me, I don’t want you to be in danger.”

Marinette was crying now, hugging Alya and pushing her face into her best friend’s chest. Muttering, “I don’t want to die. I don’t want you to die.” Over and over. Alya looked like she didn’t have any response, sifting through the evidence that had just been heaped over her. She was questioning her actions for the past couple of months as her best friend wept in her lap. She slowly realized just how much she had messed up recently. The Class was looking with a mixture of horror and confusion as their sweet class president broke down in front of them. Suddenly they saw a butterfly flap its way into the courtyard, seemingly excited as it sped its way towards Marinette. Everyone was running around trying to get something to catch the insect, except for Alya, Marinette, and Lila. The first tightened her hold on her distraught friend, ready to pull her away and defend her. Marinette seemed to be in her own world still, muttering the same thing to herself. Lila was still reeling and was trying to figure out how to get away from the situation. Not only had Marinette just nullified the most potent piece of blackmail Lila had on her, but she had also managed to begin tearing apart Lila’s rule over her classmates. Lila started to walk towards the butterfly, hoping to at least tell Hawkmoth, get revenge on Marinette for turning her scheme back on her.

Just as she reached for the butterfly, though, it was snatched away by a familiar ‘amazing super yo-yo thingy.’ This was accompanied by a cry of “I thought so!”. Ladybug landed in the middle of the courtyard, cleansing the Akuma without her usually peppy catchphrase. Instead, the spotted heroine stared icily towards a particular fox, the silence making the often jubilant action seem almost threatening. “I had a suspicion since Hero’s day that you may be working with Hawkmoth, but I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt. Then Chameleon happened, and I started watching you. After Oni-Chan, I decided that I may need to intervene for Paris’s safety. I gave you one final chance when that Mass Akuma Event happened here. Considering the state that Marinette is in right now, I assume that you attempted what you threatened in that alley yesterday, thereby using up that final chance?” Ladybug questioned, still staring daggers into Lila, almost making the air colder with her intensity.

“What do you mean, threatened?” Alya asked, shying away from the usually happy superhero when that gaze brushed over her, pulling Marinette with her.

“This little terrorist threatened to tell the city, and by extension her superior, that Marinette here was me, and would only renege on her threat if Marinette basically became her slave. Obviously, Marinette didn’t believe her, or else we wouldn’t be in this situation. I was nearby coming from a recent Akuma attack when I heard the confrontation. Either way, Marinette warned me in case it did happen so that I could be around to clean up any messes that may happen. Catching Lila in the act of attempting to become a willing Akuma is not something I was expecting, though…” Ladybug trailed off sensing Lila attempting to sneak off while the Class was watching the superhero air Lila’s dirty laundry. Ladybug simply smiled and pointed up, the Class looked with the vixen and saw a massive pulsating green dome encompassing the school. “You’re not getting away Lila, a lot of people are cross with you, and I can’t have you escaping Justice.” A yellow blur passed Lila, and she fell over, face pale. “I’ll just be taking her to the police now, you all seem to have some apologies to give. And just in case you think this is an illusion,” Ladybug walked over to Marinette and patted her hair, while offering Alya a handshake, “I am quite solid.” With that, she grabbed the envenomed Liar and repelled off, the green dome dissipating as the Hero shot her yo-yo through it.

Marinette seemed to have come back to lucidity during Ladybug’s little speech and had been smiling at the Hero as she left. Her Class seemed stunned at the revelations. Alya was the first to come to her senses and asked. “So, you aren’t Ladybug, but you have a way to contact her?”

Marinette shifted away from her friend a bit. “Well, both of the Heroes patrol past my house, so I usually leave pastries on my balcony for them. Plus, after all of the Akumas in my Class, Ladybug decided to give me her communicator number so that I could let her know when one of you was turned. She was actually the ‘cousin’ that I called since I was worried I wouldn’t calm down in time, and she had asked that I keep an eye on Lila after the Ladyblog report came out of her claims.”

“What about those claims?” Alya asked, “If you knew they were false, why didn’t you say anything?”

“Ladybug asked me to keep contacting her on the down-low. Would you give up your chance to help a superhero that could probably break you in half if you betray her trust?” Marinette asked with an eyebrow raised, Alya cringed a bit. “Plus, you didn’t believe me about Jagged who you know that I talk to, why would you believe me when I claimed that Ladybug, the elusive hero of few interviews, told me that she wasn’t friends with some girl?” Marinette’s other eyebrow raised as she gave a deadpan gaze to her friend. Alya had the decency to look sheepish as she apologized. The whole Class was soon to follow.

Marinette’s life took an upturn after that. Turns out that diplomatic immunity didn’t apply because not only was Lila an EU citizen in an EU country, her mother wasn’t the head diplomat, so her immunity didn’t extend to her family. To top it all off, there was the fact that no amount of protection would save Lila from charges of domestic terrorism.

The emails that Marinette had sent were to the Embassy, police, and a few of her clients so that no one was caught on the backfoot when Ladybug dropped off a paralyzed Lila at the nearest police station. Ladybug soon healed the girl just in time to hear the head officer add truancy and blackmail to her list of charges. It was because of this terrorist in their lap that they didn’t see Ladybug walk out of the station and dissipate into two small creatures in the nearby alleyway, one red and the other orange. Further, many lawyers showed up over the next hour from some of the celebrities that she had lied about. Turns out that Jagged didn’t take well to having the possibility of pedophilia allegations for supposedly writing a song about what would have been a six-year-old. Neither did Clara Nightingale like the idea of having false copyright claims on any of her dance moves. The Honorable Prince Ali of Achu seemed deeply annoyed that she had collected money for some charity that was supposedly in his name and wanted to have no part in any fraud allegations that may come of it. Eventually, there were enough charges for Lila to be tried in adult court, and she ended up having to be deported to Italy, where she was placed in Juvie until she could be placed in an adult prison for the majority of her life. At least there was a merciful chance at parole once Hawkmoth had been defeated.

Marinette slowly became friends with her Class again. She had forgiven Alya pretty quickly since she had acknowledged her mistakes and still believed her when it had counted. She wasn’t on the best terms with some, Max in particular, as they had been the most taken with Lila in the end. They didn’t defend Lila, so much as they continued the practices started during her reign of ignoring Marinette’s existence. Generally, however, things went back to normal after a month. All was well in the world, and Marinette’s secret was forever secured. Now, if only Marinette could track down that annoying Moth, she could finally get a decent night’s sleep without worrying about the city being destroyed by the time she woke up.


	2. "We're not so different, you and I..."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Additional Tags: Low Sodium, Mari gets philosophical, No lies revealed, Setting - Chamelion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is really different from Story 1. Not only is it shorter, but I kind of also leave it hanging. I have ideas percolating for a connected .5 to this story, so I may be revisiting the aftermath of this, but for now, just enjoy kina OOC Mari getting philosophical on Lila.   
> Still, I hope y'all like it...

Lila had threatened her. Lila ‘compulsive liar’ Rossi had just threatened to take away all of the friendships that Marinette had put her time, sweat, and tears into. Marinette felt anger course through her at the injustice of this moment. And in that anger, she found what few do in such emotion - realization.

“You know, I just figured out why I HATE people like you,” Marinette said, startlingly calmly considering the situation. Lila looked on, seemingly interested in whatever her ‘victim’ had suddenly realized. “It’s not that you use people, people get used all the time. It’s practically a part of life to be of use to others. It’s what you and others like you represent. You are what I could have been, in fact, the worst possible version of it ‘cause you aren’t even truly good at what you do.” Lila seemed to bristle at that, she looked ready to give some, probably cliché, line, but Marinette cut her off to continue.

“We have similar goals, you and I. We just went about them in utterly different ways. We both want people’s attention, praise, affection. That is what we both view as valuable. Where we differ is that I decided to go about it honestly. I worked for every ounce of praise and attention I have gained, except that which is given freely by my loved ones. I am kind to people that I might be treated kindly. I give that others might find happiness in my work. I put my work on the line that I might be rewarded for the effort I put into it and my craft gaining only the attention that I have earned through my dedication to both.” Marinette noticed she was grandstanding a bit and shifted to the other side.

“You, however, decided to go about things dishonestly. You whisper honeyed words into people's ears, you promise something you don’t own or control. You build yourself up without the solid foundation of work or truth. And while you get similar results, those results are hollow, because they come with the caveat that you must continually build them, or else they fall. And should they fall, you will find yourself beginning anew from a spot more disadvantageous than you first began.” Lila seemed angry now, or at least flustered. Marinette wondered if she was getting the point across, so she decided to end on a bit of a story.

“It’s like we are on a beach, each trying to make sandcastles. You decided to build close to the water, where you may quickly and simply build up a large and seemingly beautiful sculpture. The problem with your choice only rears its head when the water begins rolling in. As it does, you will find yourself continually building up your castle, reinforcing walls, and rebuilding lost foundations so that the uncaring waves don’t thoroughly wash away all the things you have accomplished. And the moment that you stop is the moment that your work becomes lost. Those same tides that made it so easy to begin in the first place, eventually become your task’s undoing.

I, on the other hand, chose a point where the waves cannot touch; because while the job is harder, and takes longer, the work I do need not worry for tide nor time. I can afford to slowly build my skills and grow my work. Embellish it and care for it, without worrying about the water washing it away. The only things we both fear for are the supply of sand, despite the near-limitless quantity, and the whims of the other beachgoers, which could destroy our work heedless of its relative beauty or strength. I’ll leave you to decipher what I’m trying to say. But know that I don’t fear you or your pretty words. Words without substance hold only the power that others give them, while actions need not words nor others' power to have meaning. While my friends may be swayed, I don’t fear because when the tide finally comes for your castle, mine will still be standing, more beautiful than before, waiting for them to recognize what they had left forgotten.”

With that final note, Marinette left, because while she did care about her friends, and what they thought of her, she had also recognized something more critical. So long as she didn’t lose herself, she needn’t fear Lila or her words. In the time that Lila spent rushing to keep up her castle by the tide, Marinette would be working to further expand and beautify her own. She had been getting more commissions since Jagged had her do his album cover, she might as well spend whatever extra time she had been spending on her friends on that … at least until the tide came.


	3. Too Similar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Really Story 2.5: A continuation of the last chapter, since it didn't have enough Lila bashing for my taste. I don't champion the way that Marinette is dealing with Lila in this extended one-shot, but I had the bunny, and it needed to be written. Hopefully, newer ideas in the future.
> 
> \- PS in this Aurore has the LadyBugOut blog and is a blogging rival to Alya. Ladybug tries to treat them equally, to not draw undue attention to her crazy friend, who decides to record her Akuma fights first hand.
> 
> Additional Tags For Story 2.5: Marinette-Jagged-Clara Friendship (Background), Uncle Jagged (referenced kinda), Lila Salt, Funny?, Alya Neutral, Alya is Confused, but, Alya Finds the Truth, Class Neutral, No TWs (yay)

Alya was confused. She had been trying to get Marinette to give Lila a chance for weeks, but for some reason, the girl couldn’t be bothered to provide the Italian with the time of day, let alone spend any time getting to know her. Alya couldn’t help but feel this out of character for her friend. Marinette was kind almost to a detrimental degree, always running around trying to help whoever she could. Now, however, Marinette seemed to have closed herself off from everyone. She wouldn’t go to class picnics if Lila were there. She planned class events on her own now, since Alya always tried to bring Lila when Alya was invited to help. And she seemed to have slowed down the number of favors she would do for her classmates. She still helped, for example, if Alya needed an emergency babysitter for the twins, Marinette would still be there. She would just need a good reason to do so (aside from being paid, cause while Alya may not be the most organized, she didn’t take kindness for granted).

Alya’s confusion hadn’t abated until she finally broke down and asked Marinette why she didn’t like Lila. Her bestie had just shrugged and responded, “We’re too similar.”

When Alya had asked her to elaborate, she continued, “Well, it’s like you and Aurore. You don’t get along with her because your personalities and goals are so similar that you see yourselves in each other. That can go two ways, and in your case, you end up seeing your own failings in each other. Because of this recognization, you dislike each other not only because of those failings but because they make you recognize your own flaws and seem to rub them in your face. Lila and I have a similar but different problem, a problem which is between us and must be resolved by us. While Lila may be better at hiding it neither of us like the other’s company, and personally, I doubt that we ever will. Please just trust me when I say it is for the best that we not spend too much time in the same room alone (or even in a group together) and leave it at that.”

Alya had let it drop, she had understood at least that part and had stopped trying to get Marinette to be friends with Lila. If she had to point out Alya’s rivalry with Aurore to make the point, then it must have been necessary. Plus, it was just like Marinette to want to keep others out of her arguments.

* * *

However, it seemed that Lila hadn’t gotten the memo that Mari wished to live and let live. Lila started by saying that she had spent the weekend helping XY decide the theme for his next tour. Marinette simply smiled and said nothing. When the class got home, they saw on Jagged Stone’s social media that she had spent her weekend working on commissions for him for HIS next tour. She had also been introduced to and summarily adopted by Clara Nightengale as Clara’s new cousin – with a promise of designing the primary costume for Clara’s next music video.

Lila then bragged about how she had gotten runner up in some obscure design contest in Italy the year before. Marinette simply smiled and went back to designing on her tablet after commenting about how she much preferred building with fresh materials. The class ignored her while Lila seemed to pale a bit. The next issue of Vogue featured the prize for a promising young designer’s competition that they had run, a full two-page spread for the winner. Marinette and models showing off her designs took up all of those two pages and a special centerfold that included her previous work with Jagged and now Clara.

Lila had continued a month or so later by saying that she had gotten to model her own designs in a fashion show recently. Marinette smiled and commented on how she wondered if there would be high tide soon before going back to her homework. Lila went a vibrant shade of cherry while the class stared at Marinette. A week later, Marinette had a slot in fashion week. Not only did her designs get a lot of attention, but she also walked the runway in the showpiece of her collection since the original model had dropped out last minute, with the announcer telling the audience such.

It soon became clear to the class that while Lila may talk about how much she has achieved, Marinette actually did such things while staying modest. They began wondering about all the things Lila had claimed, especially since she seemed almost desperate to prove that she was better than Marinette. She had even started claiming that Marinette had been threatening her and her work recently. Alya found that suspicious as while Marinette could have somewhat sticky fingers sometimes, she wouldn’t endanger the livelihood of another designer, even if she didn’t like them. So Alya did what she should have done from the beginning, she dug into Lila’s claims.

Alya was somewhat sickened to discover that there was nothing online supporting Lila’s stories. The only things she COULD find were that Lila was from Italy, and her mother worked as a minor dignitary representing Italy’s issues in the EU. She couldn’t find anything on Prince Ali working with environmental groups. There was nothing on Jagged Stone having a kitten or any song in his discography called “Lila” or referring to any Girls other than Ladybug and some recent allusions his Agent. Plus, she couldn’t find any way for Lila to have the complicated cocktail of medical issues she claimed to have without her being perpetually hospitalized. Her complaints amounted to something similar to brittle bone disease combined with arthritis pain, what with the number of sprains and broken bones she’s acquired. And her litany of allergies and sensitivities should have seen her only eating chicken and plain rice for every meal. Basically, Lila was a Liar. And apparently not really even a good one when someone paid attention to what she said.

Alya disseminated this information to her classmates and the teachers. Lila quickly found herself transferred into Ms. Mendelev’s Class and given detention to the end of the year (and possibly beyond), as well as her mother leveled with fines for truancy and a pile of makeup work from her ‘time abroad’. Marinette found that her friends were now back to actually acting like her friends, and while after an apology, she had begun hanging out with them, she had stopped doing them over the top favors. They understood, Marinette had trusted them, and they had dropped her for a shinier new model. The fact that she was still willing to spend time with them was enough. They could live without her favors so long as they could keep this amazing, kind, girl in their lives.

Marinette just kept smiling. Her sandcastle was more substantial and more impressive than ever. And when the tide had come in, it had stood tall while Lila found hers nothing more than a pile of sand and sea-glass, too soggy to even build anew. Yes, indeed, the honest way paid off in the long run, and the tide of time had swept away the dishonest one. Marinette had kept her integrity and ignored Lila and everyone else’s attempts to make her something she wasn’t. In the end, that was what mattered, even more than the fact that she had her friendships back.


End file.
